Technology

New Delhi: Alongside the new guidelines for OTT platforms over classification ratings and grievance redressals, the government of India has also launched new guidelines for social media platforms that include punishment for publishing offensive content, social media platforms having to publish a monthly compliance report, and the removal of offensive content within 24 hours, among other rules. The new set of guidelines for social media platforms come alongside the new framework launched for OTT platforms, which will require them to self-classify content, and follow a three-level grievance redressal mechanism.

The new guidelines for social media platforms require significant social media platforms (platforms having a user base over a certain threshold) will need to enable the identification of the first originator of the information for publishing offensive content. This person is liable for an imprisonment of > 5 years. Apart from this, prominent platforms also need to appoint a Chief Compliance Officer, a Nodal Contract Person, and a Resident Grievance Officer. They will also need to publish a monthly compliance report with details of complaints received and action taken.

New Delhi: PUBG Mobile India was heavily pegged to be set for a relaunch in the country towards the end of 2020. The game, which can be majorly credited with turning gaming in India into an industry with far wider adoption and commercial appeal, had posted a set of teasers back in November 2020, leading gamers to expect with anticipation for an official relaunch announcement, soon. After the PUBG Mobile ban back in September 2020, PUBG Corp was also noted to have established an India subsidiary in preparation for a wider set of operations in the country. All of these plans, however, seem to have really come to nothing.

February and March will see some major launches in the smartphone space in India. Realme, which recently introduced two 5G phones in India starting at Rs 19,999, is expected to bring its Narzo 30 in February. Xiaomi is also gearing up to bring the new Redmi Note 10 series phones in India on March 4. Motorola is expected to launch its Moto E7 Power later this week on February 19. OnePlus 9 series is expected in March this year as well, though an exact date is yet to be confirmed. Let's take a look at the phones expected in India in February and March 2021.

Moto E7 Power: Flipkart has already revealed the key specifications of the Moto E7 Power ahead of February 19 India launch. The budget device will offer a 6.5-inch HD+ Max Vision display and will pack an octa-core processor. The rumour mill suggests that the upcoming Motorola phone will be powered by MediaTek's Helio P22 processor. It will be paired with 4GB RAM and 64GB of onboard storage. The company will give an option to expand the internal storage by up to 1TB via a microSD card. For photography, the new Moto phone will sport a dual rear camera setup, including a 13MP primary sensor, which will be accompanied by an LED flash. Moto E7 Power is expected to be priced in India under Rs 10,000.

New Delhi: According to CMRs Mobile Handset Market Review Report for Q4 2020, the Indian smartphone market grew 20 percent year-on-year (YoY) in Q4 2020. Xiaomi emerged as the market leader in the fourth quarter of last year, as the Chinese manufacturer captured 27 percent of the market to become the number one smartphone brand in Q4 2020 in India. Samsung followed Xiaomi, as the South Korean giant secured a 20 percent market share of the smartphone market and 19 percent of the total mobile handset market in Q4 2020. Vivo followed Samsung in terms of smartphone shipments, capturing 14 percent of the market in Q4 2020, followed by Realme with an 11 percent market share, while Oppo came fifth with a total of 10 percent market share. Xiaomi's numbers include the Poco brand, according to the CMR report. Apple came sixth in the terms of smartphone shipments.

In terms of 5G smartphone shipments, OnePlus led the market with a 58 percent share, followed by Apple that secured 20 percent of the 5G smartphone market in India in Q4 2020.

As issues related to inciting posts and free speech on social media are cropping up worldwide, the need for regulation of content on social media platforms has become highly important. This became evident with the US Capitol violence incident as well as the farmers protests in India. Amid this, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has said that there is a need for clearer laws and rules to look at whether controversial accounts, like that of former US President Donald Trump, should operate on platforms like Facebook and Twitter. He said that these social media services should not be allowed to make these decisions regarding free speech themselves.

Nadella said that unilateral actions by private social media companies to this end are not stable in the long run, and therefore, a framework of norms and laws needs to be set in place. He added that he as a citizen would not advocate for an individual CEO of any of these companies to make such decisions regarding social media, which has now become crucial for the upholding of a democratic structure in the long run.